IT is easy to get ahead of ourselves whenever a heavyweight behaves and performs the way we feel a heavyweight should behave and perform, but, in the case of Daniel Dubois, the excitement could be justified.
His July win over Nathan Gorman caught the eye and had many waxing lyrical, while his no-nonsense approach to the sport is refreshingly at odds with peers whose aim it is to con, cajole and cut as many corners as they can en route to perceived dominance.
As British champion, Dubois seems happy to tackle everybody on the domestic scene. Beyond that, he holds no fear of any of the leading heavyweights, least of all Tyson Fury, some people’s number one.
“I’m capable of beating Tyson Fury right now,” Dubois told Metro.co.uk. “I’m 100 percent confident in my ability. I’ll beat anyone who steps in the ring with me. I only have one gear: seek and destroy, kill or be killed.”
Though hellbent on making his move sooner rather than later, Dubois is full of respect for what the likes of Fury have achieved and knows he has some ground to make up before he can shout too loudly for an opportunity. He saw Fury’s brave performance against Otto Wallin a little over a week ago and knows Fury is made of different stuff.
He is also cognisant of ‘The Gypsy King’s marketability, especially at home in the UK. It’s why Dubois fancies the fight. It’s why he knows Fury, as business-minded as any active pro, will no doubt fancy it as well.
“It looked like a really bloody, tough fight. He came through it and credit to him,” Dubois said of Fury’s win against Wallin. “Boxing is never straightforward. The boxing public can change their opinion of you in a split second. Tyson should be pleased with himself because he’s got another victory.
“He’s living the life right now. He’s got a great deal with the American networks. His legacy is already sealed, but he can earn a lot more money from another few fights.”
For some time now Fury has been linked with a fight against countryman Anthony Joshua, as natural as any pairing in the heavyweight division, but so far it has never come close to happening.
In Daniel Dubois, Fury might have the big British rival he has always wanted.
A fight between two other British rivals, Amir Khan and Kell Brook, has sounded like a great idea for the best part of five years now.
It is still a great idea, Khan has confirmed, and will remain a great idea in 2020. Better yet, he says their respective camps are currently in discussions to ensure it happens before it’s too late – that is, before it’s no longer a great idea.
“I think it’s a great idea, definitely,” Khan told PepTalk UK. “I think both of us will be fighting (by the) end of the year. Then we see early next year that fight between me and Kell can happen.
“We are both a similar age. I think it’s a fight that we’ve been trying to make for a very long time. I think it’s getting very close to it now.
“I’ve worked with (promoter) Eddie Hearn for a couple of my previous fights. I think going back and working with him on this fight against Kell Brook will be massive.
“We are in talks with Eddie and Kell’s team so hopefully we can make that fight happen.
“It’s a fight the public want. It’s a massive fight in Britain, so let’s make it happen.”
Admittedly, at this point it smacks of trying to retrieve lost items from the rubble of some great fire but what’s the alternative? The sight of Khan and Brook sharing a ring at long last is better than the sight of them five years from now being asked questions about it during every dinner talk they sit through in retirement.
Why didn’t it take place? Whose fault was it? What would have happened?
No thanks. Better to get it over and done with. Let them earn their money and let us all put it behind us.
